(Photo courtesy of Dogs Playing for Life via Facebook)(Photo courtesy of Dogs Playing for Life via Facebook)
Chatham

Tilbury Pit Bulls Ready For New Homes

Most of the pit bulls that were seized from an alleged dog fighting ring in Tilbury in 2015 are ready to be adopted.

In August, the 18 dogs from Tilbury plus four others were sent to a rescue and training facility in Jacksonville, Florida called "Dogs Playing For Life. The high profile case saw the OSPCA wanting to put the dogs down because they were too aggressive but Dog Tales, a dog rescue and sanctuary north of Toronto, managed to save 18 of the 21.

Aimee Sadler, Founder and CEO, says 17 pit bulls are now domesticated and should make good companions once they are adopted.

"The most exciting part is their ability to be social with other dogs and we're over-training for that. We want to make sure that we give them as much exposure to that as possible so when we hand them off to adopters that we have a very clear picture," says Sadler.

She says one pit bull was euthanized in Florida because it couldn't distinguish between playing and fighting.

The Tilbury dogfighting case is still going through the courts. John Robert and Michel Gagnon are charged with 66 animal cruelty and weapons charges.

Sadler says the four pit bulls left behind are still working through some social issues because they are super competitive and need a compatible adopter.

"Some of these dogs are super talented and what we consider high drive dogs. So, you have to know what you're doing in working with them and you have to be interested in training. It's like having a Ferrari and parking it in the garage, you want to get that car out and drive it," Sadler says.

She says the main goal is to find the right fit and home for each pit bull because they're still anxious around other dogs.

"The ones that we're releasing right now are the companions, which means that we just taught them basic manners and they're going to be happy hanging out on the couch with you. They are normal companion dogs while the others are talented and have something going on and we want to do something super special with them," says Sadler.

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